AMD might stop putting tacky stickers on laptops

Hate it when companies crazy glue half a dozen stickers to your brand new $1,200 laptop? AMD understands. According to a NY Times report, the chipmaker likens it to buying a new luxury car that's plastered with permanent bumper stickers promoting the motor oil, floor mat, and air freshener companies. If you peel them off, the adhesive often leaves behind a residue that can be annoying because it's on the palm rest, meaning your hands touch whatever grime remains.

Although everyone hates them, stickers aren't going anywhere the NY Times said. As usual, it boils down to money. Tech giants like Intel and Microsoft pay big bucks for that billboard space, and most PC builders happily trade their customers' convenience for extra cash. That's not going to change -- at least not overnight.

However, AMD may eventually stop the sticker nonsense altogether, and in the meantime it's switching to new decals that peel off cleanly. Additionally, it will make them optional. If an OEM chooses not to use the processor company's stickers, AMD will provide the same amount of marketing cash, but it will be used in other ways.